Hello, and good morning, everyone! Hope you’re having a pleasant little Monday so far. And to all the mommas out there, I hope you all had a splendid Momma’s Day, yesterday! A quick shout-out goes out to my Mom and my rad sister, Jenny. They = fantastic mamacitas who make tasty margaritas. Well, my sister makes the margies. But my Mom and I loooooove drinking them! Ooohhh I could go for a Jenny margie right now. On the rocks, extra lime. Wait, it’s Monday morning and these are my thoughts. Baaaad, Alison. Baaaad.

I’m gonna move from drunkenness to dresses, without skipping a beat…

Ok, honestly, I don’t know how any of you could possibly pick just one dress at this point in the game. There’s just too much pretty out there.

You know the effect that Coldplay’s manufactured sound has on most of us? The way it calms things down and gives us those occasional happy shivers? These frocks have the same effect on me…

By the way, I have a couple of hairstyle comments/suggestions to make.

This:

… is how my dear mother styled my hair when I was a wee babe. She worked it up into a clean bun, shimmied me into my dress, and called me Pebbles. So, while I have some of the cutest baby photos you’ve ever seen, I can’t imagine wearing my hair in a similar style on my wedding day. Of course, I’m biased – I don’t want friends and family I’ve known since birth reminiscing about my baby hair ‘dos while I’m to-having and t0-holding. ‘Cause that would be what happened if I wore my hair like this. Which I won’t. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

On the other hand, this:

… is AWESOME. (By the way, I found both of these over at Elle.) It’s really quite perfect for a laid-back, backyard affair… if you love ponytails but don’t want to look like you dialed it in on your wedding day. Personally, I love ponytails (my go-to ‘do), and am always on the search for ways to change it up. So, naturally, I love this. Of course, it may err a little on the side of being too casual, so here, check out my top five tips for great wedding day hair if you’re looking for some fabulous ‘dos for your lovely lady locks. ;)

I just LOVE this wedding; the details make me so incredibly happy. The little Ferrero Rocher gold-foil wrapped chocolates (a childhood fave of mine) marking each guest’s seat at the table, the bride’s big, magnificent jewelry, the simplicity and skillful use of color… and, most of all… HER DRESS. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how a dress should fit. You know and I know that it really does all come down to that. (Well, aside from all the love and happiness stuff, but you follow me.)

The thing is, if your dress fits properly, you own the day. Simple as that. No worries about photos marred by your constant need to lift a falling strapless gown – which happens waaaaay too often. No unsightly gathering or bulging at the waste when you sit down to eat (that is, if you sit down to eat). Proper fit is important, and I advise you to go out and get it. But don’t fret; it’s not a requirement that you spend copious amounts of your earnings on alterations. You may need to do a little sleuthing, but I’m confident that someone you know, somewhere, has the 411 on a stellar seamstress who’s well-versed in making dress dreams come true.

Doesn’t she look phenomenal?!! A perfect fit will leave you looking stylish and sexy, but still completely appropriate. Which is pretty much my definition of the ideal wedding day look.

Now, check out a bride with what I consider a fab, simple ‘do, also shot by Sara. Her name’s Julie, and while she’s stunning head to toe, I especially admired what she did up top on her wedding day. So basic; half-up, half-down. But the classic, timeless beauty of the look she has accomplished makes me swoon!

The love I have for these bridal accessories is comparable to that which I hold for my unborn child. (Don’t have one of those yet so I probably don’t know the true meaning of a statement like that, but I’m still confident that I’ve drawn an appropriate parallel.)

This is not only a grouping of some of the most lovely accessories EVER, but also some truly incredible wedding day hairstyle inspiration. Heck yes, a twofer!

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First up is Lo Boheme‘s Spring/Summer 2010 collection, shot by the fabulous Marisa Holmes in her historic 1888 studio. … These make my mouth water. I need to have about seven of them in my life. Not to mention those DRESSES. I wish they were selling those dresses!!!

Check out their etsy shop if you’d like to have one of these beautiful things in your life.

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This next headpiece blows my mind. I found it over on my darling friend Melissa’s blog, The Loveliest Day. Check. Out. This. Shot.

Yeah. That stunning young woman’s name is Dana, and she’s got herself an Etsy shop called Retr0lux, where she sells fabo headpieces just like the one you see on her beautiful head. And I WANT IT. I also want to look like this on my wedding day. Thought I hated huge, ruffled statement mini jackets. HAH! I WAS SO WRONG. Dana defines style for me today. Can the two of us please go shopping on Melrose sometime? I didn’t realize I needed some pointers until I met you and your unique, brilliant fashion sense.

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I caught a glimpse of Ban.do‘s new line, the “Black Label,” on Mixed Plate, and it made the happiness area of my brain go insane. I had never appreciated head decoration all that much until the very first time I discovered Jen and Jamie’s hyper-feminine designs long ago, and this, their newest line, is doing its part to hold my interest. You guys are gonna eat these things up. Eat. Them. Up.

Yeah, I told you! By the way, I kind of can’t take how ridiculously beautiful this model is. For those of you who don’t know, it’s Alison Sudol, of A Fine Frenzy! Gotta love it.

Here’s why I love this dress (which was featured in one of Abby’s amazing real weddings on Style Me Pretty):

I’ve always been frustrated by two very conflicting desires I have for “THE DREAM” dress. One desire is to have a gown that is simple, playful and girlie, which, for me, translates to just right above the knee. Plus, everybody has a certain feature that they love about themselves, and for me, it’s my gams. (And if you don’t have a feature that you love about yourself, STOP IT. YOU’RE BEING TOO CRITICAL. And if you’re really having trouble, ask someone if you must… in fact it’ll probably make your day.) The other (equally strong) desire is to achieve a classic, elegant look, and not to appear foolish and/or stunted. Which, for me, translates most likely to a floor-length gown. I’ve always assumed that there’s really no in-between, aside from those mid-calf-cutting pedal pusher frocks. And what I know for certain is that I will NOT wear a dress that cuts me off mid-calf. Here’s a little history on that…

When I was younger, I didn’t look like what these 13- and 14-year-old-girls look like these days. I don’t know why, maybe I didn’t drink enough hormone-laden milk products during my formative years. Whatever. I just didn’t look like a woman when I was a child. And in more recent years, I’ve totally embraced that fact. It gave me a few more years to be a kid, and for that, I’m grateful. But it wasn’t doing me any favors back when I was living it. The reason I’m telling you that story is because two features I haaaaaaaaaaaated about my body were calf 1 and calf 2. I really, really, really hated them. And I wasn’t yet the towering 5’4 I am now, so my legs were shorter… and I played soccer. And my mother is German. Sooooo… I had muscular calves. I think they were the recessive and dominant genes available… it was my destiny. They weren’t like these massive calves by any means, it’s just that everyone pointed them out, and how “powerful” they looked. (Thanks, everyone, for that, by the way.)

When I think back on what they said, I realize that they were being more flattering than anything else, but you really can’t blame me. I mean, come on, these were the puber-tastic days. Puberty is defined as not being able to process the pointing out of extremely unique bodily features as a good thing. That is the definition. So I felt hopelessly different, and it totally made the issue far worse in my mind than it ever was.

Anywho, fast-forward a couple years later, and everything changed. EH. VRUH. THUH. I got those things the milk drinkers got – but they came about naturally, which was obviously best. It was a case of latent (or maybe, appropriately-timed?) genetic onset. And boy was life full of sunshine and lollipops from that point, forward. (HAHAHH, just kidding. Boobs and proportional legs do not a perfect life make, Heidi Montag Pratt. But I think you already know that at this point. Actually, do you?)

… Anyway, that kinda sorta in a roundabout way leads me to why I’m a fan of this dress. It’s a sweet little combo of elegant, floor-length style, and tea-length playfulness, all rolled up into one heck of a gown. With no mid-calf cutting of any kind!

Aaalllllright! So! Enough about me, eh? Picture time:

About the dress, since you’re probably wondering: Melody (the bride) purchased it in Manhattan at Cheap Jack’s Vintage Store – I am NOT messing with you, this is real – and had it custom altered to fit her more modern aesthetic:

“My dress was purchased at Cheap Jacks Vintage store in Manhattan for $350. It has no tags, so it might be homemade, circa the 50’s/60’s. It was full length and I had it cut off to be short in the front and long in the back, removed the straps and a pink flower applique, added a jeweled belt, and basically redesigned the entire thing…”

Yeah. She wasn’t kidding around. Amazing job, Melody.

By the way, this girl and I were separated at birth. Evidence:

“My headpiece was purchased on Etsy. It’s actually three things all pinned on my head together because I couldn’t find one I liked by itself.”

I saw this PHENOMENAL e-session on Wedding Chicks the other day and couldn’t believe my eyes. Let me explain.

There have been a LOT more risqué photo shoots on the internets these days. But just because they’re becoming more prevalent, it doesn’t mean I’m getting used to them. Each time I catch a glimpse of a brand spankin’ new butt, or the side-most section of a titter-tatter, I feel like a peeping Tom. It’s like I’m seeing something I shouldn’t be seeing…

But then I scroll down – because you can’t look away… I mean, right? – and I’m usually met with a bevy of absolutely stunning, evocative images that prove to me, almost every time, how beautiful and important these sessions truly are to the subjects involved. Of course, there’s the obvious drive in pretty much all of us to capture forever on film the smooth, supple skin of our youth… the fleeting, all over “perkiness,” if you will. But there’s also a deeper, less superficial purpose to these sessions, and it involves the unique bond between these couples. It screams off the page in sessions like these. That electric love experienced by both partners charges these images, and who doesn’t want that etched in something that lasts forever… say, film?

Well… Joyce, Joey and Ellen of Hong Studio: this is what I consider a mission accomplished:

I should note here that the shoot wasn’t wholly scandalous. I mean, even the finest couple needs a few shots to take home to Grandma. So, Grandma’s shots:

Precious. Touching. Totally innocuous. Grandma will never catch on that they were just sexing it up, naked-style half an hour earlier.

Umm… s’cute! as my baby nephew says:

Here’s a fun fact: the breathtaking bride-to-be has her own eyelash studio in Vancouver, Canada. Uh, wow, Joyce. I’m impressed. It’s called Noir Lash Lounge Inc. Sadly, I couldn’t be farther from Vancouver, and I don’t have a good enough reason to take a trip out there any time soon. (My bank account doesn’t consider eyelashes a good enough reason, and I have to agree with it.) Oh, and by the way, she’s not just the owner… she’s also a client! HAHAHAHHHH yeah I’ll be here all week.